AMD Unveils Z2 Handheld Gaming Chips: A Distant Dream for Steam Deck Fans

AMD has recently made an official announcement regarding its complete range of Ryzen Z2 processors designed for portable gaming PCs like the Steam Deck, following a brief preview this autumn — however, as of now, the target audience and the impact on handheld PC gaming remain rather unclear.

Initially, although AMD informed reporters in a pre-recorded session that Valve’s Steam Deck, Lenovo Legion Go, and Asus ROG Ally series would incorporate the new processors, it remains uncertain if that information is accurate.

While the rejection seems quite explicit, AMD has oddly refrained from clarifying the situation on the Steam Deck (or ROG Ally) when approached. The corporation merely mentioned that its slide was “designed to highlight our existing handheld design victories” and that it is not “preannouncing any partner handheld devices.” That doesn’t constitute a denial. Asus won’t be announcing a Z2 ROG Ally during CES, rep Anthony Spence confirms to me, but he couldn’t comment on Asus’ future intentions.

Furthermore, the capabilities of the new Z2 processors are also not evidently clear. While AMD asserts “greater performance and features than earlier generations,” providing “hours and hours of battery life,” each of the three chips is constructed differently.

The Z2 Extreme presents an intriguing blend of Zen 3 and Zen 5c CPU cores paired with RDNA 3.5 graphics, featuring four additional GPU cores compared to the previous generation, and able to boost an additional 5 watts for a summarized total that undoubtedly should result in improved performance compared to before — although AMD has yet to offer any benchmarks this time.

Stepping away from the Extreme model, the standard Z2 shares the same core count as the current Z1 Extreme, utilizing the same RDNA 3 and potentially identical CPU cores, yet AMD has not indicated any enhancements over that processor at this point. The Z2 Go has a reduced number of CPU cores than even a standard Z1, and utilizes older RDNA 2 architecture similar to the chip in the Steam Deck — but it does feature 12 graphic cores, which is three times that of the Z1 and four more GPU cores than those in the Steam Deck.

Moreover, each of these latest chips possesses a higher minimum Thermal Design Power (TDP) than the prior generation (a stated 15 watts, rising from a cited 9 watts), which could indicate reduced battery longevity when lowering the CPU’s power profile for less demanding games. (Not every user alters power modes, however, thus the TDP set by manufacturers might hold more significance; the Z1 Extreme achieved optimal performance around a TDP of 15-17W, while the Steam Deck’s chip nominally operates at 15W but can decrease as low as 4W.)